Most of our data, I think, has been mined years ago. But I too will not have Alexa or any other of that type of device. I use a tablet but not a laptop so haven't got a webcam to cover up. There isn't one on the desktop PC either as we have no need for one.

On a related note: my Google Home Mini is becoming an utter & complete pain in the a$$. I'd mentioned earlier that it spontaneously started addressing me by my first name (which is ok, but...)

Now, it keeps going through a stupid random sequence of foreign-language phrases training, if I want to ask it any questions. For example, I found it useful (if I'm woken up at night, for whatever reason) to be able to just simply ask it the time. I mean, simply treat it as an on-demand speaking clock. This used to work well, for me, in that this avoiding opening my eyes to look at a watch/clock, and tended to get me back to sleep faster.

Original effective conversations were as follows:

Hey Google, Hey GoogleHi __________ how can I help?
What time is it?The time is two thirty-five AM

Now THIS is what happens:

Hey Google, Hey GoogleOla! That's Spanish for hello! What can I do for you?
What time is it?(Silence)
What time is it?!!(Silence)
Hey Google, Hey Google!!!Konnichiwa! That's Japanese for hello! What can I do for you?
What time is it?!!!!(Silence)
What time is it?!!!!!!!!!(Silence)(Silence)
Hey Google, Hey Google!!!!!!!!!!Hi __________ how can I help?
What time is it?!!!!!!The time is four thirty-seven AM!

(I then want to swear at the damn thing so much, knowing what time it is, is the least of my problems!!)

I had previously been relating the uneasy Master & Servant relationship between me (its liege lord) and It (a grey plastic jelly donut wrapped in a sock) over on the FT Robot Round-up thread but the earlier technical advice offered to me by @Coal rings ever-truer as time goes on:

Most of our data, I think, has been mined years ago. But I too will not have Alexa or any other of that type of device. I use a tablet but not a laptop so haven't got a webcam to cover up. There isn't one on the desktop PC either as we have no need for one.

Click to expand...

I too primarily use a Tablet these days. Usually with a small blob of blu-tac over the front facing lens, and the case blocking the rear facing one...

I appreciate that that probably sounds a little paranoid, but if I want/need to take a photo I can always clear the path for them again.

On a related note: my Google Home Mini is becoming an utter & complete pain in the a$$. I'd mentioned earlier that it spontaneously started addressing me by my first name (which is ok, but...)

Now, it keeps going through a stupid random sequence of foreign-language phrases training, if I want to ask it any questions. For example, I found it useful (if I'm woken up at night, for whatever reason) to be able to just simply ask it the time. I mean, simply treat it as an on-demand speaking clock. This used to work well, for me, in that this avoiding opening my eyes to look at a watch/clock, and tended to get me back to sleep faster.

Original effective conversations were as follows:

Hey Google, Hey GoogleHi __________ how can I help?
What time is it?The time is two thirty-five AM

Now THIS is what happens:

Hey Google, Hey GoogleOla! That's Spanish for hello! What can I do for you?
What time is it?(Silence)
What time is it?!!(Silence)
Hey Google, Hey Google!!!Konnichiwa! That's Japanese for hello! What can I do for you?
What time is it?!!!!(Silence)
What time is it?!!!!!!!!!(Silence)(Silence)
Hey Google, Hey Google!!!!!!!!!!Hi __________ how can I help?
What time is it?!!!!!!The time is four thirty-seven AM!

(I then want to swear at the damn thing so much, knowing what time it is, is the least of my problems!!)

Click to expand...

That would be supremely annoying. It's like it's withholding telling you the time until after it indulges you in some kind of basic trivia.

It's like it's withholding telling you the time until after it indulges you in some kind of basic trivia.

Click to expand...

Precisely. Also, it appears to log everything it says back to you, in a text file (which is readable via the unavoidable Google Personal Assistant app).

Not sure if it creates a 'court report' of what it thinksyou've said, but I have an old-school squeamishness about telling anything to go f*** itself, if that request is actually likely to be recorded as an html textfile.

Surely there are some fellow sufferers here in FTMB? Or are you lot either Alexa/Ecodot or sensible?

Myth, if that was addressed to me, I'm using Android Lollipop 5.0.2, which doesn't currently have Cortana (I didn't actually know that Cortana was a Virtual Assistant option for OSs other than Windows, but it seems I was wrong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortana).... notably not Apple (what's that called now, OSXI Snow Leopard Pterodactyl?)

Myth, if that was addressed to me, I'm using Android Lollipop 5.0.2, which doesn't currently have Cortana (I didn't actually know that Cortana was a Virtual Assistant option for OSs other than Windows, but it seems I was wrong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortana).... notably not Apple (what's that called now, OSXI Snow Leopard Pterodactyl?)

EDIT "macOS High Sierra"....no, I would not have guessed that.

Click to expand...

I was just making a general statement, not addressing you in particular. I thought Cortana was Win 10 only.

On a related note: my Google Home Mini is becoming an utter & complete pain in the a$$. I'd mentioned earlier that it spontaneously started addressing me by my first name (which is ok, but...)

Now, it keeps going through a stupid random sequence of foreign-language phrases training, if I want to ask it any questions. For example, I found it useful (if I'm woken up at night, for whatever reason) to be able to just simply ask it the time. I mean, simply treat it as an on-demand speaking clock.

Hey Google, Hey GoogleOla! That's Spanish for hello! What can I do for you?
What time is it?(Silence)
What time is it?!!(Silence)
Hey Google, Hey Google!!!Konnichiwa! That's Japanese for hello! What can I do for you?